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News

This week in farm to school: 2/17/15

NFSN StaffTuesday, February 17, 2015

Every week, we share opportunities, action items and a selection of media stories that relate to the farm to school movement. To submit an item for consideration, send us an email. To be considered, content should be of national interest to the farm to school community.

Funding & Grants

1. "Recipes for Success" Contest, Northeast Regional Steering Committee
What’s your recipe for Farm to School success? Enter your best projects, lessons and creative ideas in the Farm to School Recipes for Success contest this February. Great prizes include $500 cash, free registration at the first Farm to Institution Summit in April and seeing your work highlighted at the conference and in a new online “cookbook” of best practices. The contest is sponsored by the Northeast Regional Steering Committee of the National Farm to School Network and is funded by a USDA Farm to School grant with support from the National Education Association. Open to all in the Northeast (New England + New York). Get contest details and enter by March 2 here.

2. Farm to Preschool Mini-Grants available in CA & NY

The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute and Capital District Child Care Council are requesting applications for innovative Farm to Preschool (F2P) projects that strengthen relationships between children and healthy, local foods in the states of California and New York. This mini–grant project is funded through the generosity of The Honest Company. The F2P mini-grants will support new and expanding F2P projects in California and New York through funding, technical assistance, and the creation of a Learning Community—a network of ECE providers learning with and from each other. All types of ECE settings and agencies, organizations, farmers and food producers working directly with an ECE site(s) in California or New York are invited to apply.

The USDA recently released the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, more commonly known as the 2501 program. The USDA has announced the availability of $9.1 million grant funding for the 2501 program to provide outreach and assistant socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. This program provides grants to colleges and universities and community based organizations to provide outreach and assistance to socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers to overcome the unique challenges they face in owning and operating successful farms and ranches. Applicants have until April 13 to apply. More information can be found on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s blog.

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, in collaboration with its partners, offers free one-on-one technical assistance, educational resources, and professional development opportunities for current grantees and applicants to the Community Food Projects grant program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).For more information, visit this website.

Although the Child Nutrition Act (known as CNR) isn't set to expire until September 30, the action in D.C. is happening now, and we need your help. Join us to learn how farm to school legislation is progressing as part of CNR and what you can do to help make sure farm to school gets the support it needs from Congress! We will cover actions that anyone can take to join the effort and become an effective advocate for farm to school. The 20-minute presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. Register here.

MAFO, a National Partnership of Farmworker and Rural Organizations, will hold its 26th Annual National Farmworker Conference & Convention at the Hotel Albuquerque (at Old Town) in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 26-29, 2015. The conference will focus on “Building Rural Communities.” The 2015 conference will highlight best practices from across the country with challenging workshops by state and federal experts. The conference will also provide creative solutions to workforce development issues in rural communities, strengthen rural Hispanic entrepreneurship, as well as identify future trends that will impact rural communities. For more information on MAFO and the 2015 National Farmworkers Conference, visit www.mafofarmworker.com.

Grasshoppers Distribution LLC, an NGFN Food Hub Collaboration Study Hub, was a food hub in Louisville, Kentucky, that was established in 2006 by four Kentucky farmers seeking to connect regional products with local markets. It grew to nearly one million dollars in annual sales of local farm products, before closing its doors in December of 2013. This webinar examines the story behind the evolution of Grasshoppers and explores key challenges, best practices, lessons learned, and the organization’s lasting impact on Kentucky agriculture and the local food sector. Register here.

Policy

1. Many More Low-Income Children Starting the Day with School Breakfast, Finds New Reports from the Food Research and Action Center

School breakfast continues to make significant gains in communities across the U.S., according to two new analyses by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released on February 10, which look at school breakfast participation at the district, state, and national level. During the 2013-2014 school year, an average of 11.2 million low-income children ate a healthy morning meal each day at school, an increase of 320,000 children from the previous school year, according to FRAC’s School Breakfast Scorecard (pdf) on state trends and School Breakfast -- Making it Work in Large Districts (pdf).

Jobs and Opportunities

1. Finance & Operations Director, National Farm to School Network
The National Farm to School Network is now accepting applications for a full time finance and operations director. The position description may be found on our website or downloaded as a PDF here. The finance and operations director will direct all organizational activities related to finance, budgeting, human resources and general operations. The finance and operations director will be part of the organizational leadership team, serving as a strategic thought partner and reporting directly to the executive director (ED). Projected start date: April 1, 2015. Please share this listing with anyone you think is interested and qualified. The deadline to apply is February 25, 2015.

2. Nutrition Policy Associate, The Center for Science in the Public Interest

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) is hiring a Nutrition Policy Advocate. The Nutrition Policy Associate advocates for improved nutrition and health policy with local, state and federal policy makers and engages health professionals, academics, and concerned citizens in supporting nutrition policies. For more information, visit the CSIP website.

3. Food Service Research Consultant, Farm to Institution New England

Farm to Institution New England’s Contracted Food Service Action Project is currently seeking a consultant to conduct research within two institutions in New England. The intention of the research is to understand their ability to meet their value-based (ex: local, regional, nutritious) purchasing goals as they relate to regional procurement. The individual hired for this position will conduct research at two institutions selected by the project advisory board. This research will work with the facility to analyze financial and other costs and benefits associated with a variety of services offered by a food service management company and/or group purchasing organization (GPO). More information can be found here.

4. Director of Development and Community Relations, Farmer Foodshare

The Director of Development and Community Relations is the lead role for development and communications for Farmer Foodshare and reports to the Executive Director. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, dynamic in approach, a critical thinker, and business driven. If you are creative, result-oriented, self-starting, willing to learn, and able to manage an unpredictable schedule, working beyond 9-5 as needed, then this may be the job for you. This position is based in Durham NC and is full-time. For more information, visit the Farmer Foodshare website.

5. Youth Food Justice Zine Call for Submission

You are invited to send submissions for a zine that lifts up the voices of youth food justice activists, as well as intergenerational narratives around youth power within the context of the United States. Send in your art and writings around food justice work, or submit names of amazing youth group doing work around food justice to zine@whyhunger.org. Visit the Youth Food Justice website for more information.

An interview on Alaska Public Radio Network with Deborah Kane, Director of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Farm to School Program, and Johanna Herron, Alaska Division of Agriculture’s Farm to School coordinator and NFSN’s Alaska State Lead. More than half the school districts in Alaska are participating in the Farm to School program, feeding more than a hundred thousand kids in the state. (via Alaska Public Media)

Colorado House Bill 1088 effectively addresses childhood obesity problems and uneven economic recovery by providing grants to help farmers produce healthy, nutritious food for public school kids. Research shows that farm-to-school programs work for students. They provide kids with healthy food options and teach them about nutrition and food production. (via The Denver Post)

Serving farm fresh food from local producers could provide the impetus for a true change in the way we feed our children in public schools. A strong relationship between local farmers and schools provides healthy and locally grown products for our kids, and ensures a healthy market for local growers. (via Richmond Times-Dispatch)